On Sunday 19 January, the air in Gaza did not echo the sound of bombs for the first time in fifteen months — Palestine had persevered. Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) delivered a video-taped speech, where he applauded his people who made “unprecedented sacrifices for their freedom.”
The ceasefire agreement was finalised between the Israeli government and Hamas the previous Wednesday in the presence of Qatar and Egypt as negotiators. Out of its three outlined phases, the first phase is expected to last 42 days and will include the release of 33 Israeli captives in Gaza, and 1,000 Palestinians detained by Israel. On Sunday, 90 Palestinian prisoners were released and taken to Ramallah in Red Cross buses. In the same Ramallah on the same day, an unarmed 14-year-old Palestinian child was killed. Similar incidents of violence by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) were reported along the West Bank by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR). The deadliest attack took place in Jenin on Tuesday, where the BBC reported that at least 10 Palestinians were killed and 40 injured by the air strikes and bulldozers brought in by the Israeli army, who reasoned the attack as an attempt to “defeat terrorism.” Just like that, the fragility of the purported ceasefire was proven in the face of Zionist machinery.
One of the most prominent Palestinians released in the ceasefire deal was Khalida Jarrar, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a feminist activist. The PFLP is considered a terrorist group by Israel, leading to Jarrar being imprisoned multiple times since 2015. Her case, like many others, is symbolic of a military occupation that precedes 7 October 2023. Meanwhile, Trump and Biden continue to congratulate themselves on their respective roles in the difficult negotiation, and as the former wrote in his statement, “ensuring the safety of all Americans and our Allies.” By lifting US sanctions on more than 30 Israeli settler groups, the new US President indicated clear support for the nation. Although hope is evasive, it continues to be the strongest tool of resistance. I think of the countless Palestinians who had risen to document their lives in the past 471 days, the defiant smiles of children against the backdrop of devastated land, and doctors and journalists who were killed while they stood at the forefront of the resistance. I think of olive trees that remained rooted and those that were burnt to the ground. In the face of a genocide that killed at least 46,707 Palestinians, I think of what a ceasefire means against all that was lost.
“Freedom for Palestine.” by alisdare1 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.